


Reconciliation, But At What Cost?

by Forgetmenots



Category: One Piece
Genre: Brothers, Family Member Death, Family Relationships - Freeform, Gen, MarcoAce if you squint, Marineford AU, Short One Shot, The author is a dick to Ace, author doesn't know how to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 17:12:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10791066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forgetmenots/pseuds/Forgetmenots
Summary: Marineford was destined to be a disaster zone no matter what universe you look at it in. Ace could've accepted the consequences if he were the only one who had to pay, but that's not how the Universe works.





	Reconciliation, But At What Cost?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm an absolute asshole who enjoys and lives for drama and stories that rip my heart out. Keeping that in mind enjoy!!  
> Also keep in mind that this is the first piece i've written for pleasure in 3 years? Go easy on me

Ace was having the time of his life. He truly had never felt more alive than he did it that moment. Maybe it’s selfish for him to feel that way, hundreds of his brothers and friends were dying in that moment, collapsing in their own pools of blood for a worthless life such as his own, but what do you expect from a man that has wanted to die since the moment he was born? How could anyone expect anything different from a man so inherently selfish, who has never felt as loved as he did in this moment?

Maybe that’s why the Universe in all its wisdom decided to punish his existence more, if that were even possible. 

Ace, a man who had given up on his life the moment those chains went around his wrists, sure didn’t act like a man prepared to die. Maybe, just maybe that’s where he went wrong. 

Finally free from the unending torture that had followed the best three years of his life, he sure as hell felt like a man on fire; burning for his freedom (it’s some sort of joke he supposed, after all that’s what the Universe treated him as: one big joke). Not only did this man finally get to feel freedom from the crushing weight of the sea stone chains, but he got to run side by side with his little brother, and surrounded by the remainder of his family. Despite being in a warzone, and a war raging on around him for the sole purpose of his own demise, he felt the safest he had in a long time. 

He hated himself more for being so impulsive, so easily angered but he sure as hell wasn’t going to sit by and let anyone speak such utter bullshit about his true father, Whitebeard. He picked a fight, and he was ready to accept the consequences of his actions for that fight, but that wouldn’t punish him in a way that got through to him, the Universe decided. 

No, after a shocking revelation (a man made from fire can be burned?) he managed to be so incompetent as to let the worst situation he could possibly imagine come to fruition. 

As he concentrated on pushing the strange sensation of being burnt, one he hasn’t felt for years, to the back of his mind his eyes and mind worked faster than his legs did. When the flash of bright red that was his enemy went past him, he knew he had to get up. He knew he had to protect his little brother, lest he lose the only longstanding family he had left. 

He didn’t move fast enough.

All he could process as his legs stopped being able to work under him was the growing pool of a gruesome red on the fabric of his little brother’s yellow shirt. He stopped caring about the people around him and his vision narrowed to see only the red obscuring the yellow of his brother’s shirt. Ace didn’t process crawling on his hands and knees to get to his brother, all he knew was that he needed to get to Luffy’s side and suddenly he was there. He didn’t process scraping his burnt hand across the pavement, nor did he process Jinbe jumping in to save his back from Akainu’s relentless blow. He didn’t really care, the image of crimson around his brother permanently stamped to the back of his eyelids every time he so much as blinked. In the back of his mind he knew the sounds of his brothers name had left him like it was the only word he knew.

“Luffy,” He repeated for probably the millionth time in the few short seconds. “No, no no, oh no.”

The whines and grunts of pain Luffy was making was all his mind could pick out in the midst of the chaos. Luffys hands pressed against his own wound was obstructing his view of the wound, but he saw the blood pressing in between his brothers’ fingers. As Aces hands fluttered over Luffys own, the low whimpers pressed against his ears seeming to drive everything else from his mind. 

“Fuck, I know, Lu, move your hands.” He dragged his brothers hands away from the wound and his chest tightened painfully. Luffy's hands clasped around his forearm and shoulder gripping with a tightness that was the only thing preventing Luffy from writhing under his touch. “I know it hurts, fuck, I know.” He glanced toward his brothers face and suddenly was only able to process the raw pain in his brothers eyes. This sight, mixed with the low whimpers of pain his brother was making Aces’ eyes brim with tears and the place where his heart should be felt as though nothing could exist in the compact space. He pressed his hands harder against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. His brothers yelps pressed against his ears while the blood pressed back into his hands, coating it with his brothers life. There was too much, they needed to leave and get Luffy properly treated. “Listen to me, I know it hurts, Lu. You’re going to be okay. Stay with me.” 

Luffy didn’t answer, but Ace was too busy processing how his brothers face, usually adorned with a smile brighter than the sun, was contorted into a tear streaked mess, mouth agape with the sounds that was haunting his ears. 

“I’m gonna pick you up, okay?” Luffy’s yelping turned into a chorus of howls expressing the unbearable pain being shifted in Aces hands was causing. “Fuck, I know, Lu, I know.” He repeated this relentlessly and lifted his brother slightly. This caused the howl to grow more strained and Ace glanced outward toward where the rest of his family was watching this scene unfold with an expression of horror and shock gracing their features. His eyes met Marco’s briefly, and Marco’s eyebrows drew in desperation. Ace knew his own face was drawn in between the fear, the pain, and the helplessness. His eyes begged for help, but Marco couldn’t provide help this time. 

Ace stiffened with the realization of the sounds attacking his ears now. There wasn’t any. He turned his head back towards his little brother and was met with a smile turning lips slightly upwards, but empty eyes. 

“Luffy.” Ace barely heard the last sigh that ever left his brother, his own pleading voice not even gracing him anymore. Luffy lay in his arms, no more noise leaving him. There was no breath to move his chest up and down, his eyes open and staring endlessly but glassy, light having just left them. “Luffy.” He repeating voice growing strained, feeling his chest grow hollow with realization. 

He glanced back at Marco is desperation but tore his eyes right back to the body of his brother. Tears pricked and stung at his eyes as he stared down for a moment, a million thoughts on his lips. His chest grew tighter than he thought was possible and his eyes pressed together as he pressed his forehead into Luffys shoulder before rocking backwards again to look once more. He dimly noticed tears falling down his cheeks as he heated his hands up to try and press a reaction from the gravely injured man under him. When he was graced with absolutely no reaction he pressed his eyes together and leaned into his brother.

“Don’t do this to me, Lu, Don’t do this to me.” He mumbled the words lowly into his brother's lifeless body. He rocked back and forth slightly and kept repeating the words. “Don’t do this to me, don’t do this to me, come on.” 

A sob escaped Aces’ lips as he turned his head and he had no choice but to practically writhe in place holding his brother, “Don’t leave me alone, Lu.” He pressed his little brother's body closer to his own, twisting his arms to hug him close. “Please don’t leave me alone.” His voice cracked with grief as he hugged his brother close and rocked back and forth in place.

Ace stopped caring if he made it out of the war alive.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd say sorry but I'm not.  
> Tell me what you thought!! Come talk to me I'm very friendly!!!!! Yell at me for being an asshole!! I'm on tumblr as livinforluffy


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